Chapter 233: Domineering Du Busi: A Mere Plant Dares to Put on Airs?
Du Busi's soul power barrier carved out a perfectly stable pocket of space within the suffocating, toxic mist.
His pace was unhurried, yet every step he took struck the ground with the immovable weight of a mountain. Liu Yuan followed closely behind the Body Sect Master, the deep purple-gold light swirling ceaselessly within his Double Pupils. Beside him walked Long Aotian, a dangerous dark-gold luster rhythmically pulsing across the surface of his right palm, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Bringing up the rear was Huo Yuhao. His Spirit Eyes were pushed to their absolute limits, projecting his Spiritual Detection forward like an invisible net scanning the treacherous environment.
Outside the protective barrier, the poisonous miasma churned violently. As they ventured deeper, the mist's hue began to shift, bleeding from a sickly, dark green into a vibrant, lighter shade, before finally thinning out into a translucent veil of azure gauze.
The terrain beneath their boots transformed just as drastically. The treacherous, moss-slicked flagstones gave way to dry, grayish-white rock that crunched softly underfoot. The cloying, indescribably sweet stench of poison that had saturated the air finally dissipated, replaced by an unnatural, conflicting sensation—a bizarre atmospheric clash of blistering heat and biting cold.
Du Busi came to an abrupt halt.
He stood at the very edge of the final layer of azure mist, his hands clasped behind his back as he stared ahead. Liu Yuan stepped forward, coming to a stop by his side.
They had finally arrived at the legendary Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
It was a subterranean expanse of staggering proportions. The cavernous dome stretched so high above them that its upper boundaries were swallowed by the gloom. One could only trace the jagged, grayish-white rock formations as they tapered upward, eventually vanishing into the absolute dark where no light could reach. The underground space was vast enough to easily accommodate hundreds of people standing shoulder-to-shoulder.
At the very heart of this massive cavern lay a pool of water.
The pool itself wasn't excessively large—perhaps half the width of a standard Soul Arena—but the water was so impossibly pristine that the smooth, rounded stones resting at the bottom were perfectly visible, polished to a mirror shine by centuries of gentle currents.
On the left side of the basin, a spring violently gushed from a jagged fissure in the rock face. Scalding vapor hissed into the air, superheating the surrounding atmosphere until it shimmered with a scorching haze. The rocks cradling this hot spring had been baked to a deep, angry crimson, looking as though they had been pulled straight from a blacksmith's forge.
Conversely, on the right side of the basin, a second spring flowed from another crevice. This one bled pure, freezing mist into the air. A bone-chilling frost permeated the right half of the cavern, turning the ambient moisture into white, swirling vapor. The rocks surrounding this cold spring were a dead grayish-white, coated in a thick, permanent layer of jagged rime.
These two extreme currents cascaded into the exact same pool, yet they completely defied the laws of nature—they refused to mix.
The boiling crimson waters dominated the left hemisphere, casting a layer of faintly undulating, fiery ripples across the surface. The freezing azure waters claimed the right, resting with a terrifyingly calm, mirror-like luster. The two opposing forces existed in a state of perfect, segregated equilibrium, only daring to slowly, infinitesimally blend at the great depths of the well.
Surrounding this miraculous pool was a veritable sea of flora.
These were no ordinary weeds. Every single stalk, leaf, and petal in the vicinity pulsed with distinct, rhythmic fluctuations of pure soul power.
Du Busi stood at the edge of the basin, his sharp gaze sweeping over the exotic vegetation one by one. His rugged face remained impassive, yet Liu Yuan caught the subtle, momentary constriction of the old man's pupils—a predatory sharpening that only surfaced when the Sect Master encountered something of genuine, immeasurable value.
Huo Yuhao stood slightly behind them, his Spirit Eyes fully dilated as his Spiritual Detection blanketed the area. His objective was singular and desperate: he needed to find the Lovesick Heartbroken Grass.
He frantically scanned the glowing foliage, his brow furrowing when he failed to immediately spot it.
Right at that moment, a voice echoed through the cavern.
"Did you all come from the outside?"
The voice wasn't particularly loud. It carried a distinct, lethargic drawl, sounding remarkably like someone who had just been roused from a deep nap. The most jarring part, however, was the source. It wasn't a person speaking, but a plant.
The creature grew atop a prominent rock nestled in the northwest corner of the pool. Its broad, oval-shaped leaves were a brilliant emerald green, carefully laced with glowing golden veins. Nestled between these vibrant leaves bloomed a pale yellow flower. It wasn't overly large, but its petals were so impossibly thin they appeared translucent, like spun glass. At the very center of the stamen, a small halo of light pulsed in time with its breathing.
Huo Yuhao happened to be standing closest to the rock. He pivoted toward the talking flower, his Spirit Eyes narrowing. Even without his martial soul, he could physically feel the oppressive soul power radiating from the plant. It was a density far beyond anything an ordinary botanical specimen could ever hope to possess.
"Are you talking to me?" Huo Yuhao asked, his tone cautious.
"Who else would I be talking to?" The flower's voice dripped with a lazy sort of impatience. Its translucent petals shivered slightly, almost as if it were crossing its arms to size the boy up. "You're the one standing closest to me."
Liu Yuan shifted his gaze toward the arrogant plant. The deep purple-gold light within his Double Pupils flared as he instantly matched its physical characteristics to the ancient texts he had memorized.
He recognized it immediately.
It was the Fragrant Purple Silk Immortal. A hundred-thousand-year plant-type Soul Beast. While it possessed absolutely zero offensive capabilities, its natural fragrance provided a heaven-defying supportive effect. It could neutralize lethal poisons, rapidly heal grievous injuries, and drastically amplify a Soul Master's sensory perception. In a divine environment like the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, a plant living for a hundred thousand years was practically an inevitability.
Huo Yuhao, lacking this depth of knowledge, only sensed that the plant harbored no immediate killing intent. He took a few tentative steps forward, stopping just short of its rock.
"I came here looking for a specific type of medicinal herb," Huo Yuhao explained earnestly. "But I was told that I need to find a certain book first. Do you happen to have it?"
The pale yellow petals trembled violently, emitting a sound remarkably similar to a stifled giggle.
"Then you've certainly come to the right place!" The flower's tone shifted, taking on a playful, mocking lilt. "However, to obtain that book, you must first pass my trial."
The plant swayed, its voice returning to its characteristic lazy drawl. "How about this? Consume the poisonous grass growing right next to me. If you manage to survive, I'll hand over the book."
Right on cue, a smaller plant beside the immortal flower swayed in the subterranean breeze. Its leaves were a sickly, deep purple, marred by jagged black veins and lined with microscopic, razor-sharp thorns. The entire stalk exuded a faint, nauseatingly fishy odor. It wasn't overwhelmingly pungent, but merely catching a whiff of it made the back of one's throat itch uncomfortably.
Huo Yuhao stared down at the toxic weed, falling into a heavy silence.
Driven by his desperate need, he didn't bother questioning the logic of the trial. He simply asked for confirmation. "As long as I don't die after eating it?"
"Correct," the flower replied casually. "But if you do die, it simply means your fate wasn't strong enough to begin with. In that case, it's only natural that the book remains hidden."
Huo Yuhao set his jaw. He took a deep, steadying breath and reached his hand out, fully prepared to pluck the deadly purple weed from the soil.
Before his fingers could even graze the thorns, a low, rumbling voice echoed from behind him.
Du Busi stepped forward. His pace remained measured, but with every step, an apocalyptic wave of sheer, suffocating pressure rolled off his body.
He stopped right beside Huo Yuhao, shooting the boy a brief, dismissive side-glance before turning his terrifying gaze entirely upon the pale yellow flower.
"A mere hundred-thousand-year plant-type Soul Beast, daring to put on airs here." Du Busi's voice wasn't loud, but it carried the absolute, freezing zero of a sovereign's wrath. "Who exactly gave you the gall to act all high and mighty before this old man?"
The Fragrant Purple Silk Immortal's petals violently snapped shut.
The plant suddenly realized that the soul power radiating from this grayish-green-haired elder was infinitely more terrifying than any human it had encountered in its long life. Du Busi hadn't even actively targeted it with his aura; the ambient pressure of him merely existing in its proximity was enough to make the hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast feel as though a mountain had been dropped on its roots.
"I... I am not..." The flower's voice cracked, trembling with undisguised terror.
"Hand the items over," Du Busi interrupted, his tone leaving absolutely zero room for negotiation. "The book, and whatever medicinal herbs we require."
The Body Sect Master paused, his lethal gaze slowly sweeping over the glowing, priceless flora surrounding the Yin Yang pool.
"If you refuse to hand them over immediately, this old man will personally uproot every single blade of grass in this cavern today. Never mind a hundred-thousand-year weed like you; even if a million-year Soul Beast crawled out of that water, this old man wouldn't spare it a second glance."
The Fragrant Purple Silk Immortal went dead silent. Its translucent petals fully retracted, curling inward until it resembled a pathetic, trembling little ball, utterly paralyzed by fear.
Having thoroughly cowed the guardian, Du Busi paid it no further attention. He turned his broad back to the flower and looked directly at Liu Yuan.
"Liu Yuan," Du Busi commanded, his voice returning to its usual gruff cadence. "Whatever it is you're looking for, go take it yourself. There is absolutely no need to entertain the whims of a talking weed."
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